" Your enemy is never a villain in
his own eyes.
Keep this in mind, it may offer a
way to make him
your friend. If not, you can kill
him without hate
---- and quickly."
Lazarus
Long
" Pan stop this, you don't know what you're doing," pleaded Goten trying to keep up with his niece who strode forward following Vegeta to the gravity chamber that lay on the other side of the compound.
" We're at a party! This is supposed to be fun!" he argued, irritated that she had been ignoring his presence for the past five minutes. He looked over his shoulder to see most of the Z crew following them at a distance no doubt dying to see what was going to happen. Goten scowled at them trying to discourage and get them to leave but it had no effect. At least ChiChi and Bra had stayed behind to mingle with the other guests.
" Hold my purse for me will you Goten?" said Pan, handing it over to him as they walked briskly.
Goten snatched it from her angrily.
" Three Pan! Vegeta can go Super Saiyan Three! That's too much for you," he said trying to dissuade her.
Pan gave no indication that she had heard anything he had said. Throwing his arms up in disgust, he decided to appeal to the saiyan in front of him.
" Vegeta come on! You know you can take her easy, there's no point to this!" he shouted at him only to hear the older man merely snort at his comment.
Before Goten knew it they stood before the gravity chamber. He watched nervously as Vegeta punched in the code opening the seal.
" Pan, that is such a pretty dress, blood is a bitch of a stain to get out and I know how much you hate doing laundry…" he joked in a weak last ditch attempt to change her mind.
The door hissed as it opened and Vegeta stepped inside, removing his jacket. Pan moved forward to follow him but stopped to look back at Goten.
" We'll see you at dinner uncle," she said with a smile as the door began to automatically shut in his face slowly.
Not if you're dead, he thought frowning.
They all rushed and pushed against one another over to the side of the chamber to watch through the observation window.
" This is crazy…"
" What are they doing now?"
" Nothing yet, Veg-head is just taking off his shoes."
" Does Bulma know about this?"
" I couldn't find her. Heh, she's gonna be pissed."
" He better not kill my little girl!"
" Why is my daughter wanting to fight in her nice dress?"
" I dunno Videl but it's going to get ripped to shreds. The girl isn't going to have anything left to wear."
" Dude, you say that like that's a bad thing."
" Shut up Yamcha!"
" Can anyone boost Krillin up on their shoulders? He can't see."
" Hey guys look, Pan is coming over here…"
They saw Pan walk over to the observation window and wave at them as she pressed a button. Black shudders came down to block their view. The group wailed in protest and banged on the chamber wall.
" Why did you shut the windows?" Vegeta asked her.
Pan walked to the other side of the sparring room, kicking her shoes over to the wall.
" What goes on here is between you and me," she answered.
That wasn't entirely true. She also wanted to protect the prince's fragile ego. Although he was in dire need of a lesson, she didn't want to humiliate him in front of the other warriors. That was not in either of their best interests whether the prince knew that or not.
Vegeta stripped down to his pants and his white undershirt, leaving the rest neatly folded in a corner. He cracked his neck and smirked at Pan.
" Bulma is going to make me sleep on the couch for a week for ruining my suit and your clothes but you know what brat? It's going to be worth it," he told her.
" That's nice my prince," she replied in a bored tone as she stretched her legs.
" Are you ready to begin?" she asked, straightening up.
Vegeta gave her a nod and assumed his fighting stance.
" No, no lets do this the right way," she said mockingly.
The spiky haired saiyan wondered what she was up to but remained as he was.
Pan breathed in deeply and began to recite the formal request of a lower class to battle with a noble in the saiya-jin tongue.
Vegeta's eyes widened at hearing words that had not been spoken to him since he was seven years old. Since then he had never used it with Nappa or Raditz because it seemed pointless although he always made sure that they knew their place. Now he had the granddaughter of his rival challenging him formally to a Duel of Recognition, speaking saiyan so well that one would have thought it to be her native tongue. On Vegeta-sei it was typically used for official spars and for when one wanted to be considered for a promotion in class. There was no doubt that this young warrior was much more than what she seemed.
Gritting his teeth, he accepted her challenge and resumed his fighting stance. His opponent seemed pleased and began to circle him slowly with a catlike grace.
He waited for the attack to come but it never came. Therefore, he decided to take the offensive.
Vegeta blasted forward and assaulted Pan in a flurry of kicks and punches. She countered and blocked each one swiftly but at the same time showed little retaliation. Frustrated, Vegeta phased away for a moment to catch his breath.
" Are you just going to block all day? I've got better things that I could be doing right now," he growled at her.
Pan just smirked at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She leaned down into her fighting stance again and beckoned him to come with a finger.
Vegeta snarled, powered up to super saiyan and phased in behind her with a roundhouse kick. His boot made contact with something and she was hurled back but not with the effect he had intended. Was it some sort of shield?
She stood up without a scratch on her and took notice of his confusion. " That was sneaky but I expected as much. My turn to even the odds now," she said.
Pan closed her eyes and put her hands together chanting words softly that he couldn't make out from where he stood. He felt the air become electrified and her ki begin to surge upward. With a flash he saw her hair become golden and a yellow aura surround her. The strange thing was that her eyes hadn't changed to the typical blue-green like his own.
He threw his head back and laughed heartily, hands on his hips. The woman looked at him curiously, a bit thrown off. She had only seen Vegeta laugh maybe once or twice in all the time she had known him.
" Well done brat. So you finally achieved super saiyan, it's about time. Maybe now this will be somewhat interesting. But the end will still be the same, I will defeat you," he said confidently smirking at her. His green-blue eyes glared at her fiercely.
Pan dropped her stance and simply stood with her arms folded. " Tell me Vegeta, how are you going to do that when you can't even touch me?" she asked.
Vegeta flew at her then, ready to snap her neck when suddenly his body jerked to the right and he crashed into the chamber wall. He pulled himself up and looked to see that she still stood where she was, regarding him with an expressionless face. How did that just happen? And how did she do that?
" What the hell is this?" he snapped at her, charging at her once more.
The same thing happened again but this time at the last minute his body pulled to the left, missing her and kissed the titanium wall. Pulling himself out of indented wall, Vegeta decided that he was going to have to kill her. No one played with the Prince of the Saiyans like this!
" I'm not playing with you," she said to him, her golden eyes meeting his blue-green intensely.
" Then what is this?! And where did you get these abilities? I know they're mind tricks," he shouted, fists clenched. He abruptly powered up to level two unconsciously because of his anger.
" I'm merely utilizing all of my abilities to their fullest, something I would think you'd appreciate. I know you hate it when people hold back on you," she answered calmly. " As for my new talents, well, let's just say I learned that I was more than just saiyan and human…"
She told him the quick version, not wanting to waste time. About Tulanti, its destruction, its people and their abilities and how she came to learn how to use her powers. Vegeta quietly listened as she spoke, his classic scowl never leaving his face.
" So that's why your scent was always so strange to me," he said more to himself than to her. " So then you're saying that these fools are all dead now? They either blew up with the planet or died off here?" he asked in amusement.
" Those fools, Vegeta, were exploring space when Saiyans were still using rocks and sticks for entertainment. But yes, they're all dead as far as I know. Mogiri died five months ago and he was the last one. Before he died he passed on his memories to me to keep his civilization alive. So you could say I am the last living reminder that they ever existed," said Pan sadly.
Vegeta leaned against the wall watching her while he processed all of this. This was an interesting development. The girl had gained more power than he thought possible in those few years. Finally he had a worthy opponent after all these years since Kakarott had died.
" And to answer your first question…" she said phasing out and reappearing in front of him. " THIS IS A STATEMENT!"
Vegeta felt her fist crack his jaw and he was sent hurtling across the room. He stopped himself before he hit the other wall and retaliated with ferocity he had not used in years.
Pan screamed in anger and began to pulverize him. Her tk shield was absorbing his powerful blows while she played with his mind and easily found openings. Vegeta couldn't tell if she was in front or behind him, if he was really hitting her at all or if she was just making him think he was. He powered up to level three finally since he had been getting nowhere.
Vegeta tried to close his mind off to her, having had some training on telepathy on Vegeta-sei.
" Nice try, maybe if you had more training you'd be successful," she hissed as she kicked him across the face, following up with a flurry of ki balls.
Deep inside the prince knew he was not going to win this. And if he carried it on much longer, she was going to do some major damage to him.
Pan saw him flying at her again, she reached up and grabbed him with one hand by the throat and slammed him down onto the floor. She didn't make a move to follow up with another attack but just watched him lay there below her.
The eyes returned to their shiny black obsidian color as they looked up at her. Vegeta let his breathing calm down a bit and he rested a hand on his stomach. Finally he spoke.
" What is it that you want," he said not looking at her anymore.
Pan smiled gently, powered down and knelt down next to his head.
" I want you to respect me. I want you to respect my family. And for you to realize that we're all we have left," she said quietly.
Vegeta turned his head to look at her, raising an eyebrow.
" What are you talking about," he grumbled.
" You are the last Prince of the Saiyan race. You're also the last full-blooded Saiyan as far as we know. The rest of us are half-breeds, the majority of which know very little about their heritage. I was lucky, I was able to find out that I had once been a Saiyan 400 years ago, but that's another story. I know you are a private man but how do you expect the last of your subjects to respect you when they don't know anything about you or what you represent?" she asked sincerely, folding her hands in her lap.
With a grunt Vegeta sat up and rested an arm on his raised knee. Pan's words stirred many emotions within him and thoughts he had always tried to suppress. When he began his life here on Earth he decided to just train to be the strongest warrior in the universe. Vegeta-sei was no more and he had no people. He was a prince of nothing. Everything he was bred and trained for had been taken away and he felt he had no purpose. Fighting was all he had left, it was his last connection to the world he once knew besides the blood that flowed within him.
" Those damn idiots could care less," he snapped. " Probably too stupid anyway to understand."
Pan tilted her head. " You've never given them a chance and you don't know that," she argued gently.
" Hmmph. What's the point of all this Pan," he demanded to know, growing impatient.
" I don't want to see Vegeta-sei die with you. I want its memory to be passed on to others and not be left to the same fate as Tulanti. You are a powerful, intelligent, brave and proud man. I respect and admire your determination and resolve. From this moment on I am pledging myself to you, as a loyal subject," she said raising her head regally.
His scowl melted away slowly, his eyebrows lifting to their normal resting places and his mouth opened slightly in wonder. He didn't care if she saw him like this because his senses told him she was serious and honest in her words. But he decided not to get too familiar and resumed his harsh expression.
" Why would I want you? What do I get out of this?" he said haughtily, while he ran a hand through his spiky black hair.
Pan rose to her feet and placed her hands on her hips while she smiled down at him.
" You, get to train with me whenever you want. How else is my Prince going to get stronger so he can kick my ass?" she asked with a grin, getting him to smirk at her.
" True," he admitted.
Her expression grew serious once more as she bent down in front of him, grasping her knees.
" I don't expect you to believe me on this part, I know it will take time to earn your trust. But I have followed you through countless lifetimes. You have been my teacher, captain, boss, general, tutor and many other things to me. And now I pledge myself to you again. Please know that I will never betray or hurt you and that I respect who you are," said Pan, looking deep into his eyes.
She straightened up then after saying that, and went over to retrieve her shoes.
Vegeta didn't bother to reply to what she said seeing as how he didn't have a clue as to how he could. His first reaction had been to think that the girl had finally gone insane but her powers backed up her story. Frowning, he stood up and looked over at the young woman who was facing away from him. She didn't have a scratch on her and her dress didn't have one rip, only her hair looked a bit ruffled now giving any indication that she had been fighting. He wished he could claim the same. His pants and undershirt were shredded to pieces.
Pan walked over to the sealed door and punched the code to get it to open. The room decompressed as the door hissed open, sunlight filling the gravity room.
Vegeta looked up when he heard her giggle and pick something up outside the door. He craned his neck over a bit to see but was blinded as she tossed it at him. Growling, he pulled the fabric off his head and gave her a death stare. He then realized that it was a brand new suit, dark gray with a white shirt and dark blue tie.
" That woman left you a suit out here because she knew you'd need it. What a marriage you two have," Pan laughed as she shook her head.
Vegeta just smirked and began to change as she left the room to wait for him outside.
He emerged a few minutes later in his new suit and Pan had to admit that he looked very handsome. Vegeta, with his upswept hair and sharp features had always had a unique look that suited him. She gave him a nod of acknowledgement.
Much to her surprise he offered her his arm politely, and she took it as he led her back to the party that took place on the other side of the grounds.
Fortunately, they had arrived just in time for dinner. The guests were seating themselves at their designated places at the numerous tables. Pan caught sight of Bulma along with Trunks, Livia and Bra at their head table. She pointed them out to Vegeta who then left her to join them.
Smoothing down her hair, she sighed, wondering where she was supposed to be. Pan felt like she was being watched and looked over to find Juuannagou standing next to her.
" There's nothing quite like standing around feeling lost wondering where your damn place card is, is there?" he asked her, eyes skimming the tables ahead of them.
" Oh yes. It's a thrill, maybe if we're lucky we'll have time to eat by the time we find our seats," she said dryly. Her Saiyan appetite was starting to demand vast amounts of food.
" Ah hah! Good news, I found our spots," he said taking her by the hand leading her forward, startling the young woman.
He led her to a table where her parents sat along with Goten, Juuhachigou, Krillin and ChiChi.
" Pan! You're alive! You didn't die!" exclaimed Goten jumping out of his seat.
She rolled her eyes and she sat down next to him. " Of course I didn't die Goten," she muttered.
Juuannagou sat down at the other empty seat next to Gohan, opposite her. The two men began some sort of engrossing conversation that Pan didn't bother to listen in to.
Goten leaned over to whisper in her ear, while munching. " So what did you guys do? What did you say to him?" he asked eagerly.
" I'm sorry but I can't say hon," she replied noticing the hurt look in his face.
He shrugged while picking at his plate.
" That's ok, I know you probably have a good reason why you can't," he said understandingly. " Doesn't Bra look gorgeous tonight?" he suddenly added.
Pan looked over at her uncle whose eyes were on the Capsule Corp president who was chatting away intensely with her mother. She knew the look of hopeless love all too well. Her own face had been plastered with it from the ages of fourteen to eighteen once.
She smiled at her uncle. " She sure does. You should ask her to dance later on tonight," she proposed.
Goten eyed her nervously.
" I couldn't do that. Vegeta would kill me," he grumbled looking down at his plate.
" No he won't, besides we're all adults here now."
" But…she's my boss," he squirmed.
Pan's mouth dropped. When Goten had told her about his job he had neglected to tell her the name of the company. He was doing PR for Capsule Corporation?
" You work for Capsule Corporation Goten?" she asked.
He smiled the classic Son smile and scratched the back of his head.
" Heh, yeah I guess I left that out didn't I?" he chuckled.
" He's not the only one," Juuannagou added.
She turned back to face Juuanna and pointed at him.
" You too?" she asked.
" Yep, aerospace engineering and then a little of this and that. I work with Trunks a lot," he explained, setting down his glass.
Pan tossed her napkin down. " Ok has CC hired anyone else that I should know about?"
Most of the table laughed good-naturedly until Pan saw a small hand rise up. It belonged to her mother.
" Mom!" scolded Pan.
Videl smiled weakly. " Honey I was just hired, it's not like I was keeping it from you or anything. I wasn't happy at my old job and Bra wanted me to be her personal assistant. We finalized my contract this past week," she said glancing at Gohan who was laughing.
His daughter shot him a look.
" Don't look at me! I'm still teaching at the university," he said grinning.
Dinner went on with the band playing some soft jazz in the background. Once it had drawn to a close and the sun had gone down, the lights on the podium were turned on. The presentation screen lit up with the Capsule Corporation logo and everyone began to clap when Bra walked up to the microphone.
The young president smiled graciously, adjusted the mike a bit and nodded to a man who stood to the side.
" Thank you. Thank you all for coming. We are honored to have each and everyone one of you here tonight to celebrate with us the success of this past fiscal year," she began.
Some people began to applaud, most of them stockholders.
" In these uncertain times with fluctuating markets, Capsule Corporation was able to forge ahead by meeting and then surpassing its goals. The credit goes to everyone, we all worked hard in making this company what it is. I intend on continuing the tradition that my grandfather began many years ago."
The screen changed to show information on the biotech industry and then statements on CC's dedication to the environment.
Bra looked out at her audience and straightened out her arms taking hold of the podium.
" Now as you all know, we've been flirting with the idea of branching into the biotech industry and medicine. Originally we were going to clear 40 acres by Lake Yamada for a new facility. Well, the plans have changed a bit," she informed them.
The crowd began to talk among themselves a little before quieting back down for her.
" The site will be the location for our new facility but it will not be cleared. Three weeks ago my mother came to me with an alternate proposal. A botanist had approached her, looking for a charity donation to move her base of operations to Japan. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that she raised and tended to species of plants that are now extinct. Some of them were known to have disappeared as far back as 12,000 years ago or earlier. For those of you not familiar with the pharmaceutical industry, many drug companies study plants and their components to research cures. They're discovering that Mother Nature provides more than what they had previously thought. Unfortunately with the rainforests shrinking with each day, our opportunities to learn are slipping away. Our little botanist friend had the handy talent of being able to make nearly anything grow. And so I give you the vision my mother gave to me. I give you Capsule Preserve," she said proudly, raising her arm to gesture to the screen.
A computer-generated diagram of the land came into view showing how the land would be divided and used. Most of it would be used to grow plants on the land wildly but what grabbed everyone's attention was the main greenhouse. It should have been called the main " green-dome". This was where the most sensitive and tropical plants would be housed. It would be a few miles high so that it would be able to form a small atmosphere inside. Eventually it would rain on it's own without help. It was suited for the highest trees and the tiniest flower. The architect's plans looked impressive.
Bra put her arms behind her back and smiled at the crowd's awestruck reaction. She walked over to the side of the screen, the spotlight following her.
" No one will have seen anything like this before. Our main greenhouse will be the largest in existence worldwide with plants unknown to scientists. The word is already out. Numerous universities and professionals have contacted us wanting to study and get a look at what we have. And I don't even have to say how much our competition wants to pay to get in on the action. This is a paleobotanist's dream project. We will be hiring new scientists to assist and work in the preserve nearing its completion. Officially, we will be having a press conference to announce Capsule Preserve publicly later this week but we wanted all of you to be the first to know. Now I'm sure you're all dying to know who this botanist is and where they came from. Funnily enough I just found out who she is only an hour ago. We all know that Bulma likes to dangle a secret over our heads, don't we?" she asked garnering laughter from the crowd.
" Well then I won't delay in introducing her to you, a wonderful person whom I have been very fortunate to know most of my life, Miss Son Pan!" she announced.
Gohan and everyone else sat stunned but remembered to clap for her. He glanced around him and could tell that no one had known about this except for Bulma, Pan and Bra. His daughter waved a little as she walked up the short steps to stand beside Bra at the podium.
Pan felt and looked like a deer in headlights. She had never been good at speaking in front of large amounts of people.
Bra took her hand to reassure her but regretted it instantly as she felt the other girl's hand begin to crush hers. " Um, Pan, my hand…you're gonna break it girl!" she whispered painfully.
Pan jumped, realized what she was doing and apologized to her friend. She cleared her throat and began to say a few words.
" Thank you. I am grateful for this opportunity that Capsule Corporation has given me and for the wonderful support they have shown. I am sure you all have many questions but unfortunately by contract I cannot discuss details at this moment. I look forward to working with other brilliant minds that have the same passions that I do. Hopefully together we can find breakthroughs and make our world a better place. We will show people that embracing nature can help their lives and can be beneficial. Thank you," she concluded. With that, she walked briskly off the stage with her head down to avoid the people looking at her.
Pan wanted to die a thousand deaths. She felt so stupid up there and regretted every word that had come out of her mouth. It wasn't so surprising to know that public speaking was a bigger fear than death for most people. Still, she was so happy to know that soon she could bring her plants to a new home.
Rounding the corner she felt someone's arms wrap around her and pick her up.
" Congratulations Pan! I'm so happy for you!" said Trunks as her twirled her.
" Trunks! Argghh, put me down you oaf," she grumbled, struggling against him.
He squeezed harder and smirked.
" Not until I see you smile," he said conditionally.
" Ha ha Pan! He's got you good!" teased Livia who danced around them.
" Livi you're a traitor! Didn't you guys see me up there? I made a fool of myself," she moaned.
" What are you talking about? You did fine," Trunks told her, still not letting her down.
" Yeah! So what if your face was white as a sheet!" said Livia smiling up at her.
Trunks frowned at Livia and Pan simply started to laugh.
" You're right Liv. The important words are 'so what'," said Pan as Trunks let go of her. " I need to lighten up and chill out. Where's the bar again?"
A/N: Well now those of you who were concerned now know why Pan wasn't worried about ruining her dress. And as for Vegeta, I think he could care less about what he's wearing. Anyone reason for him to get away from a formal function is ok with him. Also in answering that same question about the last chapter, I purposely had business guests arriving later. I guess I didn't consider it a big deal since the gravity chamber wasn't nearby so it's not like people would've been distracted. So things are moving along, Pan's going to be moving out eventually since she's twenty-five and an adult with a job now. And Goten's got a crush…awwww. (Predictable but fun)